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Mussolini's March on Rome
Mussolini's March on Rome was a march led by Mussolini. The goal was to establish the Fascist Party he led, as the most important party in Italy. 3 days later on October 30, he was sworn in as prime minister. This led to the ascension of his party, at this time the Fascist Party was atop the Italian Kingdom. -
Stalin becomes dictator of the USSR
Joseph Stalin becomes the leader of the Soviet Union in 1924. Lenin, who was in power, had a series of strokes that killed him. Stalin exiled Trotsky from the USSR in 1929 and then had him assassinated in Mexico in 1940. Stalin is a more totalitarian leader than Lenin was. He tried to get rid of all of his political opposition. Leading members of the Bolshevik party were executed and more than 50% of the military officers were purged. -
The Writing and Publication of Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf translated to "My Struggle". Hitler wrote it while in prison, he was serving for a failed coup in 1923. In this book, he wrote about his ideology and presented himself as a leader of the extreme right. He talked about his life and his youth and in large part his "conversion" to the hatred of the Jews, or antisemitism. He was enraged by the Treaty of Versailles because of the blame Germany took. The book is filled with racism and antisemitism. -
The First USSR Five Year Plan
The first five year plan was created in order to start rapid and larger-scale industrialization. It called for the collectivization of agriculture, and the expansion of heavy industry, such as fuel extraction, and steel production. -
The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
An explosion destroyed a section of a railroad track near Munkden, a city. The Japanese owned the railway and blamed the Chinese for the explosion. They used this as an opportunity to invade Manchuria. They also were seeking out raw materials to fuel the growth of Japan's industries. -
The Holodomor begins
Stalin felt threatened by Ukraine's strengthening culture. Stalin took measures to destroy Ukrainian peasantry and their smart cultural elites. This would prevent them from seeking independence. To make things worse he initiated a large-scale plan to spread intimidation that included arrests and imprisonment. Thousands of "higher-up" Ukrainians were executed for supporting the pro-Ukraine regime. He then decided to control agriculture, which led to the starvation of millions of Ukrainians. -
The appointing of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany
On January 30th of 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed as Chancellor of Germany. With that, the Nazi Party of Germany took full control of the German government. The year saw his rise in Germany, helped mostly by the German people’s frustration with dismal economic conditions and the wounds from defeat in the Great War and Versailles treaty. Hitler channeled popular discontent with the post-war government into support for his far-right Nazi party. -
Germany's "Night of Long Knives"
The night of long knives saw a major shift in the leadership and politics in Germany. It established Adolf Hitler as the supreme administrator of justice for the German people. Hitler feared that then paramilitary SA had too much power so he ordered his elite SS guards to murder the top leaders of the organization. Now, Hitler and the Nazis could control every single bit of a German's life. -
The enaction of the Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were a set of antisemitic (against Jews) and racist laws that were enacted by Nazi Germany. They redefined what it meant to be a German citizen in Nazi Germany. It also stripped Jews and many others of citizenship, and foundational human rights. -
The Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
For Italy to establish a strong military power, they invaded an easy target in Ethiopia. They also had no colonies and wished to become a colonial power. The invasion of Ethiopia was difficult for Italy, but they became a colonial power. -
The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a military revolt against the Republican government of Spain. It was supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody and deadly civil war ensued. This war was fought with great force on both sides. -
The Great Purge begins
Stalin used secret police to spy on the people who disagreed with him. The police would then arrest them and send them to labor camps in Siberia and even kill them. Around 8 million people died in the Great Purge. Stalin used the Great Purge to remove anything or anyone from the Communist Party that might challenge his power to the slightest degree. -
The Anti-Comintern Pact
This was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan, that said that they would work together to stop the spread of communism around the Globe. This was aimed almost solely at the USSR. Germany and Italy worked well together during the Spanish Civil War and brought a fascist victory over communism. -
The Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese War, the capital of China, Nanking fell to Japanese forces. To halt the Chinese resistance a Japanese general ordered the complete destruction of Nanking. The city was destroyed, most of it burned. Then the Japanese forces totally ransacked the civilian population, that was left. They butchered 150,000 male "war prisoners", and 50,000 additional male civilians, and raped 20,000 women and girls, many of whom were killed. -
Kristallnacht
At this time Nazi leaders unleashed a series of massacres against the Jewish people of Germany and recently incorporated territories. This became known as Kristallnacht or, Night of Broken Glass. The name came from the fact that the streets of Germany were shrouded in broken glass. This was due to the vandalism and destruction of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and homes.